Virginia Scholar Identifies Lost Colonial Essayist, Supports Community College Students

Dr. Brent L. Kendrick's Unmasking The Humourist restores a forgotten 18th-century voice while supporting student success initiatives through the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education.

EDINBURG, Va., Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- After years of archival sleuthing, Dr. Brent L. Kendrick, literary scholar and former Professor of English at Laurel Ridge Community College, has solved one of the most intriguing mysteries in early American literature.

His new book, Unmasking The Humourist: Alexander Gordon's Lost Essays of Colonial Charleston, South Carolina, establishes Alexander Gordon as the long-hidden author of The Humourist essays published in The South-Carolina Gazette (1753–54). Gordon — a Scottish-born antiquarian, Egyptologist, and Clerk of His Majesty's Council in South Carolina — emerges as a witty, worldly, and distinctly Southern voice whose satire rivals Benjamin Franklin's.

Meticulously edited and annotated, Kendrick's work restores Gordon's rightful place in American literary history and immerses readers in the vibrant, often-contradictory world of colonial Charleston. Featuring the complete text of The Humourist essays, with historical commentary and new archival discoveries, the volume brings fresh insight into Charleston's cosmopolitan character and the birth of Southern satire.

"Gordon's essays provide a rich and new dimension to the Colonial American essay tradition," Kendrick explains, "and offer, for the first time, a Southern voice that equals Franklin's in wit, intelligence, and humanity."

Early reviewers praise the Kendrick's research, noting that it "bridges continents and centuries [and] reshapes our understanding of colonial journalism."

Kendrick's distinguished career spans public service and education. Before joining Laurel Ridge, he spent 25 years at the Library of Congress, earning its Distinguished Service Award. His teaching excellence was recognized statewide: Top 12 Educators by SCHEV (2008), Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence (2010), Chancellor's Professorship (2012–14), and Susan S. Wood Professorship (2016).

Also known for The Infant Sphinx: Collected Letters of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Kendrick is completing Dolly: Life and Letters of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, a two-volume biography and letters project that continues his lifelong exploration of literary recovery and rediscovery.

All proceeds from Unmasking The Humourist benefit the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education, supporting student success initiatives across the Commonwealth.

Unmasking The Humourist is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ingram, and select independent bookstores.

Contact:
Brent L. Kendrick, Ph.D.
[email protected]
TheWiredResearcher.com
Edinburg, Virginia

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SOURCE Brent L. Kendrick, Ph.D.